Blackwood

The Journal's Secret

The morning sun streamed through the windows of George's Chicago apartment.

George sat at the kitchen table, the journal open in front of him. He'd read it cover to cover three times now. Each time, he found something new. Something he'd missed before. Something that made the story even more complicated.

Sam walked into the kitchen, still in her robe. "You're up early again."

"Couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the journal."

"What did you find?"

George looked up. His eyes were tired. "More than I expected. Dad wrote about everything. Not just Margaret. Not just Uncle Frederick. Everything."

"Like what?"

"Like his business partners. Like the people he did business with. Like the things he saw and the things he did." George paused. "He wrote about Thomas Cade. About their partnership. About how Cade was worse than him."

"Worse?"

George nodded. "Dad said Cade was a monster. He said Cade had people killed. People who got in his way. People who knew too much."

Sam sat down across from him. "So your father wasn't the worst of them?"

"No. But that doesn't make him innocent."

"I know. But it changes things. It changes how we see the whole story."

George was quiet for a moment. "I found something else. Something I didn't expect."

"What?"

"A name. A name I've never heard before. Someone Dad mentioned in the journal. Someone he was afraid of."

Sam leaned forward. "Who?"

George opened the journal to a marked page. "A man named Victor Kane. Dad wrote about him in 1985. He said Kane was dangerous. He said Kane was the reason he had to keep secrets. The reason he had to protect himself."

"Who is Victor Kane?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

---

George called Jonathan Sterling.

"Mr. Sterling. I found something in Dad's journal. A name. Victor Kane."

Sterling was quiet for a moment. "Victor Kane. I've heard that name before."

"Who is he?"

"Victor Kane was a businessman. A very successful businessman. He was involved in some of the same deals as your father. They were partners. For a while."

"For a while?"

"They had a falling out. In 1985. After that, they became enemies."

"Why did they fall out?"

Sterling was quiet again. "I don't know the details. But I know it was bad. Your father was afraid of Victor Kane. Very afraid."

George felt a chill run down his spine. "Where is Victor Kane now?"

"I don't know. But I can find out."

"Please. I need to know everything."

---

The next few days were tense.

George couldn't stop thinking about Victor Kane. The name haunted him. He kept seeing it in the journal. Kept reading about his father's fear.

Sam noticed. She tried to reassure him. But George couldn't be reassured.

Finally, Sterling called.

"Mr. Blackwood. I found Victor Kane."

"Where is he?"

"Dead. He died in 2010. Heart attack."

George felt a mix of relief and disappointment. "He's dead?"

"Yes. But I found something else. Victor Kane had a son. A son who's still alive."

"What's his name?"

"Michael Kane. He's a businessman. He runs his father's company. And he's been looking into the Blackwood family."

George's blood ran cold. "Looking into us?"

"Yes. He's been investigating your father. Trying to find out what happened between them. He thinks your father was responsible for his father's death."

"That's not possible. The journal says Victor died of a heart attack."

"I know. But Michael Kane doesn't believe it. He thinks your father had something to do with it."

George sat down heavily. "So he's been watching us?"

"Yes. For years. He's been collecting information. Building a case."

"A case for what?"

Sterling was quiet for a moment. "A case against the Blackwood family. He wants to destroy everything your father built."

George closed his eyes. The nightmare wasn't over. It was just beginning.

---

George called Arthur.

"Arthur. We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"There's a man named Michael Kane. His father was Victor Kane. Victor Kane was Dad's business partner. They had a falling out. Victor died in 2010. His son thinks Dad killed him."

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "That's insane."

"Maybe. But Michael Kane doesn't think so. He's been investigating us. He wants to destroy us."

Arthur was quiet again. "What do we do?"

"I don't know. But we need to find out what happened. We need to find the truth."

---

George and Arthur traveled to Boston to meet with Michael Kane.

Michael Kane was younger than George expected. Mid-thirties. Clean-cut. Professional. He met them in his office, a glass tower overlooking the city.

"Mr. Blackwood," Michael said. "Mr. Blackwood. I've been expecting you."

"You have?" George asked.

"Yes. I knew you'd come eventually. I knew you'd want to know the truth."

"The truth about what?"

Michael leaned forward. "The truth about my father. The truth about yours. The truth about everything."

George was quiet for a moment. "Tell me."

"My father and your father were partners. They built a company together. A company that was worth billions. But your father was greedy. He wanted it all. So he set my father up. He made it look like my father was stealing. Then he forced him out."

"That's not true. My father wrote about your father in his journal. He said your father was worse than him."

Michael laughed. "Your father was a liar. He lied about everything. He lied about my father. He lied about his brother. He lied about your mother. He lied about everything."

George felt his anger rising. "My father was a complicated man. But he wasn't a murderer."

"Wasn't he? He killed your mother. He framed his brother. He destroyed my father." Michael's voice was cold. "He was a murderer. A liar. A thief. And I'm going to prove it."

"How?"

Michael opened a drawer and pulled out a folder. "I have evidence. Documents. Emails. Recordings. Everything your father tried to hide."

George stared at the folder. "Where did you get that?"

"From your father's office. After he died. I paid someone to break in and copy everything."

George felt sick. "You broke into my father's office?"

"I did what I had to do. To find the truth."

George stood up. "I'm leaving. This is insane."

"Sit down, George. You need to hear this."

George sat down.

Michael opened the folder. "Your father was a criminal. He bribed politicians. He laundered money. He had people killed. Including my father."

"Your father died of a heart attack."

"Your father made it look like a heart attack. He paid a doctor to inject my father with a drug that stopped his heart. No autopsy. No questions asked."

George stared at Michael. "That's not possible."

"It is. I have proof." Michael slid a document across the table. "A confession. Written by the doctor who did it."

George picked up the document. His hands were shaking.

He read it. The doctor admitted everything. The injection. The cover-up. The payment.

George set down the document. His head was spinning.

"My father killed your father."

"Yes. Your father killed my father."

George was quiet for a long moment. Then: "What do you want?"

"I want justice. I want everyone to know what your father did. I want to destroy everything he built."

"And if we can't give you that?"

"Then I'll do it myself. I have enough evidence to bring down the whole family. All of you."

George stood up. "I need to think."

Michael nodded. "Take all the time you need."

---

George and Arthur walked out of the building.

"What do we do?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know. I need to think."

They walked to the car in silence.

George's phone rang. It was Sam.

"George. I've been trying to reach you."

"What is it?"

"I found something. In the journal. Something you missed."

"What?"

"A name. A name Dad mentioned. Someone named Derek."

"Derek? Who's Derek?"

"I don't know. But there's a letter. A letter from Dad to Derek. Dated 1985."

George's heart pounded. "Read it."

Sam read the letter.

*Dear Derek,*

*I know what you did. I know you killed Victor Kane. I know you used the doctor to make it look like a heart attack. I know everything.*

*I'm not going to expose you. Not yet. But I'm going to keep the evidence. Just in case.*

*If you ever try to hurt me or my family, I will destroy you.*

*Your friend,*

*Julian*

George stared at his phone. "Derek killed Victor Kane. Not Dad."

"Who's Derek?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

---

George called Sterling.

"Mr. Sterling. I need to find someone. Someone named Derek. He worked with my father."

Sterling was quiet for a moment. "Derek. Derek Holloway?"

George's heart skipped. "Yes. That's the name. Derek Holloway."

"Derek Holloway was your father's driver. He worked for him for years."

George's blood ran cold. "Derek Holloway was my father's driver. And he killed Victor Kane."

"It looks that way."

George hung up.

He thought about Derek. The nervous driver. The one who'd lied about what he saw at the beach. The one who'd been caught in the middle of everything.

Derek had been working for Vincent. But he'd also been working for Julian. He'd been a double agent. And he'd killed Victor Kane.

George called Arthur.

"Arthur. I know who killed Victor Kane."

"Who?"

"Derek Holloway. Dad's driver."

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "That's not possible."

"It is. I have proof. A letter from Dad to Derek. Confessing everything."

"What do we do?"

George thought about it. "We find Derek. And we find out the truth."

---

George and Arthur tracked down Derek Holloway.

He was living in a small town in New Hampshire. Working as a mechanic. Keeping a low profile.

They found him at his garage. He was older than George remembered. Grayer. Tired.

"Derek," George said. "We need to talk."

Derek looked at them. His face went pale.

"I knew you'd come," Derek said. "I knew you'd find out."

"Find out what?"

Derek sighed. "About Victor Kane. About what I did."

"You killed him."

"Yes. I killed him. Your father ordered it. He said Victor was going to destroy everything. He said it was the only way."

George felt sick. "My father ordered you to kill Victor Kane?"

"Yes. Your father ordered it. And I did it. I was young. I was scared. I did what I was told."

George was quiet for a long moment. "Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

"Because your father had evidence. Evidence that I'd done it. He said if I ever told anyone, he'd destroy me."

"So you kept the secret."

"For thirty years. I kept the secret."

George looked at Derek. The man who'd killed Victor Kane. The man who'd been caught in the middle of everything.

"Derek. I need you to come with me. I need you to tell the truth."

Derek was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"Okay. I'll come with you."

---

George, Arthur, and Derek went to see Michael Kane.

Michael was surprised. "Who is this?"

"This is Derek Holloway," George said. "He was my father's driver. And he killed your father."

Michael stared at Derek. "You killed my father?"

"Yes. I killed him."

"Why?"

"Because your father was going to destroy my family. He was going to take everything. I did what I had to do."

Michael was quiet for a long moment. Then he started to cry.

"All this time," Michael said. "All this time I thought your father killed my father. But it was you."

"It was me," Derek said. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Michael looked at George. "What do I do?"

George was quiet for a moment. "You do what you think is right. You tell the truth. You let the world decide."

Michael nodded.

He picked up the phone and called the police.

---

Derek Holloway was arrested.

He confessed to everything. The murder. The cover-up. The years of secrecy.

He was sentenced to twenty years in prison.

Michael Kane finally had closure. He thanked George for bringing the truth to light.

George was relieved. But he was also sad. Another family destroyed by his father's lies.

He called Sam.

"Sam. It's over. Derek confessed. Michael has closure."

"Good. I'm glad."

"Me too. But I'm also tired. Tired of all of this."

"Come home, George. Come home and rest."

George smiled. "I will."

---

The phone rang at 2:17 AM.

George reached for it automatically. His heart was pounding. But when he looked at the screen, he relaxed.

It was Arthur.

"Hey," Arthur said. "I know it's late. But I wanted to say something."

"What?"

"Thank you. For finding the truth. For not giving up."

George smiled. "You're welcome, Arthur."

"I love you, George."

"I love you too, Arthur."

"Goodnight, George."

"Goodnight, Arthur."

George hung up.

He lay in the dark, listening to the quiet breathing of his wife beside him. His children were asleep in the next room.

His family was broken. But it was his. And he wouldn't trade it for anything.